term:

Aver

aver vt

averred
aver·ring
: to assert or declare positively esp. in a pleading
: allege [not necessary to the capacity of a party to sue "Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 9(a)"] NOTE: Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(e)(1) requires that averments in a pleading be “simple, concise, and direct,” and states that “no technical forms of pleading or motions are required.”
aver·ment n

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©1996. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.